


Darkness Becomes Her

by BrutallyRomantic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrutallyRomantic/pseuds/BrutallyRomantic
Summary: AU SQ / Vague slow burn/ In a world where Regina never cast the curse, she is merely biding her time until she can find another form of revenge.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

Scented linens draped the walls, pale silvery blue and a shade that might have been yellow were it tinted just ever so slightly darker. Balcony doors lay wide open to take advantage of the Spring breeze, the occasional gust shuffling the linens and re-permeating the room with caressing scents of lilies and hydrangeas.

Seated on the chair before her vanity, Emma, crown princess of the Enchanted Kingdom, as the brush in her mother's hand stroked through hair for the...178th time? The blonde's mind was screaming for some kind of activity, something that would challenge her. However, with her mother chattering happily about her first ball and how excited she was to announce Emma's eligibility for accepting suitors and god only knew what else, the blonde was trapped where she sat.

Emma of the White Kingdom was a force of nature by the time she turned two, rushing through the castle with the ease of someone who knew the entire layout by heart. Walking by the time she was barely a year old, running had become her favorite mode of transportation. Taking advantage of this overflow of energy, Emma's father had taught his daughter the finer arts of battling with a sword and hand to hand combat, leaving her fairly skilled by the time she reached her teenage years. If not for her seeming inability to focus on one task for too long, she might have been a master.

As Snow White spoke endlessly on True Love and other such nonsense, Emma considered if she was even ready for such a large step. But with a mother like hers, True Love had been a goal for Emma from day one.

"Are you sure that I'm ready?", the eighteen year old asked uncertainly as her mother swooped her hair partially upwards and fastened it with a pin studded with pearls. Curling another strand around her finger, Emma sighed at her own reflection. Hair drawn over one shoulder to expose the side of a pale, elegant neck and studded with pearled pins holding a complex looking style on the side of her head. A silver chain draped around her neck, one pearl centered just above the bare cleavage the white dress exposed. She felt like an offering, a sacrifice in virginal white, no matter the talk of True Love that had been increasing by the day.

"You are the most beautiful princess that ever lived, and if you're half as strong as your father . you're more than ready." Her mother's voice dragged Emma from her contemplation and into a world in which she was expected to become a wife, a piece of property if she was being honest, despite whatever bullshit her mother might want to insist about True Love. Emma most certainly wasn't going to meet her True Love at some big coming-out ball, and no one would convince her otherwise.

* * *

The loud slam of a door could only have been caused by magic, rattling the windows themselves. Within the dark castle, black marble and the occasional piece of pewter dominated the entirety of the decor, lending an ominous air that followed one as a loyal shadow. Not that shadows were a thing of fright in this place, rather just a fact of existence.

Regina Mills, better known as the Evil Queen, seethed as she paced like a trapped animal, nails digging into her palms within tightly squeezed fists. How dare they be joyful? How dare they celebrate when Regina could not?

The curse she had planned so long ago might have been her rescue, might have brought her to a place in which Snow White was the one alone and suffering due to the misery of never having that which you love. But in the end, Regina had chosen to keep that one thing that kept her sane..sane enough. She kept a hold of the only somewhat healthy relationship she had held in her life since the death.. the murder of Daniel.

Her jaw tightened as she drove away thoughts of a love that could have been and focused instead on just how she was going to crash the eighteenth birthday ball and the official presentation into courting society of the daughter of her mortal enemy. In the years that had passed, Regina had grown as a person in one way alone. Cruelty had hardened her to a point where, if now she was offered the dark curse she denied so long ago, there would be no hesitation.

As she toyed with the spoon in her hand before stirring sugar into her tea, Regina contemplated her options at this point. It had been so very long ago that she barged into the wedding of her mortal enemy and swore to destroy her, and yet there was, as of this moment, no follow through. That might have irked Regina in the beginning, but the fear that she could imagine Snow White was suffering from made the wait slightly more bearable.

Now, however, Regina felt the urge once more, the need to destroy Snow White in a way that could not be repaired. And the convenience of her daughter's party only lent to the sense that her time had finally come.

* * *

Gliding across the dance floor would have been nice, in Emma's opinion, were it not with the shortest prince she had ever danced with. His head came just about to her breasts, providing him the unfortunate (for Emma) ability to ogle her easily, an opportunity he thoroughly abused. When the song ended, Emma made a swift exit, returning to the throne placed just to the right of her mother's.

The ball itself was not a terrible event, and even the people were all friendly. The only bitterness Emma held towards the night was the fact that she was very nearly required to dance with every suitable bachelor that had chosen to attend, her mother throwing encouraging glances in her direction every single time she caught her eye.

As she surveyed the ballroom, keeping an eye out for any one face that might catch her eye in particular, there was a loud bang of doors forced open and an immediate hush through the crowd of party goers. Immediately all eyes were drawn to the dramatic entrance of the newcomer, murmurs tinted with fear diffusing throughout the room.

"Regina, you're not welcome here!" Charming declared loudly, having stood from his throne. Shoulders set as firmly as his expression, the King did not flinch as the Evil Queen stalked towards the raised dais on which the thrones sat and it conjured an awful sensation of deja vu. He was, however, halted from drawing his sword and attacking immediately by Snow, holding up a hand as if to signal that they should see what Regina had to say before jumping directly into a battle that would no doubt end in many fatalities.

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't plan on staying.." Regina said haughtily, smugness exuding from her every pore. "I merely came.. to pick something up."

Without another word, Regina vanished in a cloud of purple magic, as did the princess. There was a split second of silence before pandemonium broke out.

The Princess was gone and at the mercy of the Evil Queen.

* * *

Emma had had barely a glimpse of the woman before the magic took her, but in that glimpse she was captivated. She saw dark hair, red lips, eyes that made promises that she didn't doubt would be kept. The very air around the woman seemed to back away from her, as if fearful. The teenager's heart had raced for that split second as the magic seized her. And though she knew that she should be frightened, she could not help but feel that this might be the adventure she had been seeking.

The surroundings in which she found herself were dank and smelled vaguely of wet animals. Emma was cold and without the layers of underthings, corset, petticoats and stockings that she had been bullied into the for the ball, sitting now in a long brown burlap tunic. Scratching rough against her skin, the cloth was unlike anything the princess had ever worn, and in some small way it satisfied a deep need inside to experience something outside of her pampered world.

Examining her immediate surroundings more carefully, Emma found moist stone walls and a set of sturdy bars that likely could have held a troll, if not a dragon itself. Panic mingled with a eager sort of sensation that came to a head when a voice sounded through the darkness, clear and strong.

"Hello, princess." Strands of hair that had escaped being pinned back (as somehow her hair had not been a part of her magical disrobing), fluttered violently as Emma jerked her body around to face the sudden intruder.

The Evil Queen, in all her glory, was no more than three feet from the crown princess. Emma could not pull her eyes from the woman..no, the ethereal being. The Queen wore an ensemble that Emma could only describe as devilish. Deep red, so dark as to be nearly black, clung to every curve, the front dipping low enough to make the young girl blush as she forced her gaze upwards. Regina's expression was smug and confident, fully aware that she held the entirety of the power in this situation and there was nothing the little blonde could do about it.

"You're the Evil Queen", blurted Emma suddenly, finding words to be a difficult concept at this precise moment. Lifting a brow as if to say 'duh' was Regina's only response as she began to pace around her victim in the already tiny cell, admiring the way the burlap even had trouble disguising the blonde princess's strong beauty. Where Regina was sly, deceptive, her eyes playing out only what she desired, Emma was an open book, her fascination and fear displayed as clearly on her face as if she had intended it.

It was this alone that gave Regina pause, causing her to shift her plans to torment the girl and send her head back to Snow on a spike, that and the glow that looked as if it radiated from her very flesh. The very clear way that Emma was not cowering in fear in a corner was enough to raise up curiosity in the jaded Queen.

Her expression remaining even, a mix of smug victory and the promise of destruction, Regina hummed low, "It's good to know my reputation continues to precede me." She continued to circle the girl.

"Why am I here?"

Ah, this time the princess's voice shook just a bit, Regina noted. Surely Snow had shared with her daughter the history she shared with the Evil Queen, but how much?

"Why do you think you're here?" Regina asked in a sultry voice, entering Emma's personal space without fully making physical contact. Her eyes lingered over every inch of Emma's body enough so that it left the teenager feeling some sort of violated. She realized with horror that as her mother's mortal enemy looked her over like prey, it was thrilling.

"You want to use me against my mother." Emma wasn't stupid, and she had been raised on stories of the awful Evil Queen. No matter how Snow would try and tell her that the woman had been good once, it couldn't fight away the fear that the mere mention of the dark woman summoned.

Sinful lips curled into a patronizing smile and Emma could have sworn that Regina was about to pat her on the head like a child. "Very good! Now, be a good girl and come here." Regina gestured to the ground before her, indicating that Emma should kneel.

Unaccustomed to following orders, Emma stalwartly refused, arms crossing. "No."

Torn between annoyance and amusement over Emma's defiance, Regina settled on the former. Her expression contorting as she waved a hand. Instantly, Emma was on the floor on her hands and knees, bowing to the Evil Queen as if before a deity. Gasping as the magic seized her body and forced her down, she grunted as her knees slammed down onto the stone.

"What the.." Fear had truly taken hold of the girl now, after the demonstration of Regina's power. Laughing mockingly, Regina looked down triumphantly from above. "Magic, dear", the Queen answered the unspoken question.

"Please, just let me go!"

Regina was thoroughly amused by this point. "Mm.." she leaned down just enough to expose more cleavage and invade her prisoner's space, "I like you begging. I shall have to remember that." Emma's breathing was swift and shallow, leaving her lightheaded and utterly incapable of forming coherent thoughts, much less fight against Regina's magic.

As Emma pleaded to be released, to return home, Regina hissed and gripped the blonde's chin hard to force her to make eye contact, but the very instant skin touched skin, there was a spark, a surge in the Evil Queen's power that she did not expect whatsoever. Burning through her like a wildfire all at once, it was truly the second time in which this sensation took over so completely.

Daniel.

Startled, Regina did not notice for a moment that Emma was staring at her with eyes full of fear. Adopting her firm expression once more, Regina tightened her grip. "If you want to go free, you must only complete one task." The blonde's fear was still very present, but the curiosity and hope to return to her family alive was only too tempting. There was a long pause before Emma asked in a small voice, "What?"

Regina grinned.

* * *

Palms sweaty, pulse racing. Emma fortunately did not have to deal with the emotional components of what she was about to do, as Regina had taken her heart. Emma supposed it would prove as a reassurance that she truly would return .

With the assistance of Regina's magic, Emma appeared just outside of the enormous home that belonged to none other than Rumpelstiltskin. When Emma had agreed to do this one task, even after finding out who it was, she had not realized that it took a specific weapon to destroy the Dark One. Now here she was, sneaking around the castle in order to find what might as well have been a needle in a haystack. The magical cloak that draped around her shoulders was meant to make the eye miss seeing it, very nearly making one invisible.

Emma had to assume that Regina knew what she was doing, sending her off into one of the most dangerous places in the Enchanted Forest, and that she would keep her promise to send the princess home once more. Stepping lightly, Emma prowled through the Dark One's immense castle.

* * *

Uneasy pacing might have worn the floor by this point were it not for Regina's father, ever the calm voice of reason, reassuring her that everything would be okay, despite not knowing what had happened to leave his daughter so distracted. Regina was not a woman who cared to share herself, but in this moment she could not control the very likely accurate fear that Emma.. no, the princess. She could not escape the fear that the blonde might not come back.

When she had plunged her hand into the princess's chest and stolen Emma's heart, from the split second up until the current one, there was a spark. A literal spark. It surprised Regina that the blonde had not noticed, though she supposed having your heart torn from your chest would serve as an excellent distraction.

What worried her more was certainly not the little spark however, but rather what it meant. If the research that Regina had so meticulously gone through was correct, that would make the two of them soul mates. Regina had not believed it possible to love again after her first was murdered, but there must have been some small part of her that clung to the hope for love.

On the other hand, how on earth would Emma react over even a hint of True Love? From this thought had been born The Idea. Why bother trying to woo someone that likely didn't even share her proclivities when it would be so much easier just to have complete control.

Rumpelstiltskin was no fool, and Regina did not doubt that he would kill the girl should he find her in his home. But that was a risk that Regina desperately needed Emma to take.

* * *

The dagger Regina had described had a place of honour in one of the Great rooms in Rumple's castle, and as Emma weighed the thing with both hands, it baffled her how light the weapon was in comparison to appearance. Into the metal itself was etched the name 'Rumplestiltskin', the blade appearing all the more ominous for the curves that formed the edges.

"Rumplestiltskin.." Emma murmured curiously. Before the word was hardly out of her mouth, there was a voice coming from behind her and an unmistakable presence. The blonde jerked around without any grace whatsoever and stared wide eyed at the face of an enraged Dark One.

"You picked the wrong house, dearie."

He lunged at her, ready to strangle the intruder with his bare hands. However, the second Emma raised her hands to both defend and fight back, the Dark One came to an abrupt halt. If anything, the man (monster?) only became more enraged. Except this time he had gone a darker shade of ragged gold, his outward appearance betraying how important the dagger was to him.

When he made no more move towards her, Emma stepped cautiously closer. And though his eyes remained fixated on the dagger, it was clear that the hatred in his eyes was all for Emma. "I don't think you realize the gravity of this situation, dearie", he said dangerously, pointing to the weapon in Emma's hand. "Why don't you put that back and no one will get hurt."

Emma stuttered slightly, interrupted by the swirl of magic signifying Regina's arrival just behind the golden man.

"No, Rumple, I think you're the one who doesn't realize the gravity of the situation." Regina stood tall, hands propped on hips and eyes daring anyone to challenge her. Even with the way things were happening, and even knowing the stories of this woman and the terrible things for which she was responsible, there was a part of Emma that admired her and very secretly might want to be slightly like her.

Perhaps with less killing.

Before Rumple was aware, at Regina's barely perceptible signal, Emma used the ornate weapon to stab Rumple solidly in the back, the blade slicing through flesh and muscle like a hot knife through butter. Breathing deeply, then shallow, then nearly hyperventilating as the man collapsed, Emma dropped the dagger in shock and stumbled backwards.

She had just killed a man. Albeit an evil man, but a man nonetheless. Glancing at Regina for approval, she found the brunette having picked up the dagger and holding it close, her greedy gaze shifting between the weapon and the blonde who had wielded it.

As Rumple took his last breath on the marble floor, a dark cloud began to build, sifting out of his body through every pore, benign and almost beautiful. She had a half moment for admiration before it struck, thrusting itself through the air and straight to Emma. A whirlwind lifted her hair, screams of pain filtering through the thick cloud that had over taken her like a shroud, forcing itself into her body.

Watching with hungry eyes, Regina felt as if she could see the blonde princess's hair lighten even as her soul darkened. Regina watched as the name 'Emma White' etched itself onto the blade, then held it to her chest as if to protect it as the whirlwind died down little by little.

Emerging from the smoke and darkness and magic, Emma wore an expression of terror and betrayal. "What was..what was that?" The blonde was insecure, the unfamiliar power thrumming through her veins just about serving as a second heartbeat. Regina held the dagger to her lips and licked the expanse of the flat part of the blade and placed a kiss at the very tip, noting Emma's intense shudder.

"That..my dear, was you becoming mine and mine alone."

Emma panicked, stepping back, with terrified eyes. "But you said I could go free if I got rid of Rumpelstiltskin!"

Lips twisting into a condescending smile, Regina purred, "A princess is never truly free. You are more than welcome to go home, but this" ,she gestured to the dagger now bearing Emma's name, "will make certain that you will come when I call."

The servitude to which she had just condemned herself hit Emma like galloping horse. Those days in which she dreamed of freedom were essentially over now that she was at the beck and call of a mad royal.


	2. Chapter 2

The air might have been icy, but it was hardly the weather that left Emma shuddering where she stood. Her Queen had made it very clear the power that she now possessed over the princess, and the first task she was to complete upon her return home was a sinister one.

She had a very precise message to deliver for Her Queen.

Not Her Queen. No.

But the thought happened as naturally as breathing, the notion that Regina was somehow hers just as much as she was a possession of the royal's. Even this thought was not the culprit for her shudders however, but rather something stored in the very back of Emma's mind in the face of the task at hand.

Spring, while beautiful, seemed to have allowed the rebirth of more than just the Earth, but for the princess herself. Time passed as slowly as Emma languished in the dungeons after that first night. Demanding to return home as she was told she was able, the princess could feel the power within being held back somehow, as the Queen had said she could leave only on her own power. She felt strong, certainly, and there was most definitely a power coursing through her very soul, but there was something.. The magic she was supposed to have access to now seemed to elude her attempts to use it.

Did she still have a soul?, she wondered.

"Well of course you have a soul, you stupid girl." The voice from behind her had Emma moving faster than she believed she ever could to face the very man she had murdered.

"Rumplestiltskin!", she exclaimed, immediately on the defence for what she knew must be an impending attack. The man had somehow survived and found her, though she hardly blamed him for desiring revenge.

Scoffing as he ran a finger over the wall and inspected it, as if tsking over the cleanliness, or lack thereof, in the cell, Rumplestiltskin released a long sigh and looked at Emma. His eyes held contempt but hardly enough to warrant the desire to kill her.

"You really are a pathetic Dark One, aren't you? And here with your parentage.. You haven't even discovered a _fraction_ of your potential." He gave Emma a full once-over as she kept on the defence, unfooled by what she believed to be a facade of calm apathy regarding her past attack.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were.." Emma couldn't finish her sentence, leaving Rumple to jump in with a joyous, "Dead?!" followed by a giggle that gave the blonde chills.

"Of course, I'm _dead_ , dearie, but the Dark One isn't." He neared her casually, lifting his brows as she lifted her fists, completely ready to defend herself.

"Oh yeah? Care to explain that one?" Emma demanded. Sighing as if very put-upon, Rumplestiltskin then gave her a look that made it clear that she was behaving like some sort of illiterate toddler.

"Must I really?" he asked before continuing without waiting for an answer. "It's _you_ , you stupid girl. _You_ are the new Dark One." The declaration made Emma's blood sing, or rather the power that now danced within her and amongst every physical part of her being.

No way, she wanted to say, but the words that came out were eager, "Wait, so does that mean I can do magic?" Rumplestiltskin looked at the girl in a sort of wondering daze for a short second, his features twisted into utter disbelief. He supposed it must be the strength of the light magic she held in her once so frail frame that kept the darkness from slipping out willy-nilly, and she wasn't even _aware_ of the power her parents had inadvertently bestowed upon her. Now, the product of True Love as a Dark One.. Rumple giggled to himself, the part of him that remained behind along with all the other remnants of the Dark One's from ages long past. This child was going to be so very fun to break in, with so much innocence still within her and the potential she held to turn all that sickeningly light magic into a dark force to be reckoned with.

"You have so very much to learn, dearie, and I, for one, am absolutely delighted to teach you."

The Evil Queen watched from a mirror as the princess in her dungeons talked to herself, wondering if perhaps the strength of the darkness that had taken hold of her was just too much for the product of True Love. Stroking the taut leather armrest with unforgiving sharp black nails, the royal contemplated approaching the girl or, better yet, summoning her with the dagger that had not left her side since its acquisition.

But no, she wanted first to see if the girl could even escape a simple, magical dungeon. Regina wanted to be certain that the pureness that no doubt lived in Emma would not interfere with the darkness that the royal wanted to send her home with. She could only imagine the reaction that Snow White would present when the very next sight of her child was not as the little princess she had raised, or even as a dead victim of long-overdue revenge, but rather a dark force to rival the Evil Queen herself. Or perhaps not rival, but serve, when one considered the dagger that Regina now toyed with idly.

She expected that Emma was going to be her favourite new plaything, but the Evil Queen had to be sure first that she would be worth her time.

* * *

"Who knows what she could be doing to her!?" Snow cried out, standing from her chair at the circular table. "We've waited long enough and heard nothing!" The King placed a hand on hers, calming her enough to have her retaking her seat.

"We can't make any rash decisions", he reasoned, though his jaw was tense with the clear message that waiting was killing him as well. It had been two full days since the kidnapping of their daughter, and the gathering in the war room was not the first. No one had been brave enough to outright suggest that the princess might have already been killed, though the Blue Fairy had spoken out with the wisdom that the Evil Queen would more than likely have bragged mightily already if she had made any such move.

It was a small comfort for the parents of the missing princess, both working hard to think through their distress and reason out what Regina might actually do to the princess. Snow was around the same age when she was forced to flee the castle, and she remembered well how difficult it was to learn to survive in the wild. However, she hadn't been right under the thumb of the Queen and had learned many valuable skills before being forced to face the woman.

Emma.. even the thought of her daughter sent Snow into what she could only describe as a soul crushing sense of panic tinted by fear and coated with terror. Emma was an apt fighter, but she had no idea how to face magic the likes of which Regina possessed, no matter how many stories she had heard. The Blue Fairy had made mention in the past that Emma may show signs of possessing magic herself as she grew, due to being the product of True Love, but Snow had urged her away from such practices. She knew that Regina had become the way she was partially, if not fully, due to beginning to learn magic, and she feared that having that kind of power and being in the position she was in life might make the path that Regina had followed appear attractive to her rebellious and sometimes foolhardy daughter.

"We all know that Regina is someone who likes to put on a show. I think that the fact that things are quiet is a good sign. Emma is a strong girl, she'll be okay." Charming spoke firmly, despite only half believing the words he was spewing, taking Snow in his arms without a care for those watching. His daughter was a fighter, and they had already sent a score of scouts into Regina's lands to seek out their princess. One way or another, they would bring the girl home.

* * *

Emma shouted in triumph as she appeared across the cell, disappearing into a cloud of silvery smoke and reappearing opposite from where she had been before. Glancing to Rumple for some sign of approval, she received only a lifted brow. The task had been to leave the cell, to escape, and yet she had merely shifted a few feet.

Muscles that she didn't know she had were sore in ways that she didn't know they could be, and the exhaustion of the day of magical learning caught up with the princess with a scowling almost pout as she glared towards the being that she had earlier been informed only she could see.

The Evil Queen, watching as ever, couldn't help but chuckle as Emma scowled, assuming that whatever vision she was having did not find her accomplishment suitable. Sure, it might have taken the princess several hours before she was able to fully transfer her being from one place to another, and the woman could only imagine the comments that only Emma could hear from the retorting the princess was doing, but Regina had taken a little bit of time to learn that particular spell as well. Full body travel was hardly an easy task, much less in the spelled cage that Regina had 'gifted' to the girl.

"Come on", Emma complained, unaware of unseen eyes as she begged for some small sign of approval from Rumple, "At least I didn't leave my clothes behind this time."

Deep red lips twitching as Regina recalled an hour earlier when Emma had managed to travel her entire body across the cell, sans prison gear, when the Queen had promptly decided against appearing herself in the cell to take advantage of the girl's nudity.

No, no. When she finally took the princess, it would be with far more ceremony and in a place far more suitable than a dank dungeon. After all, Emma was supposedly her soul mate, not to mention Regina still possessed the dagger. The Universe had conspired from the beginning to make the princess hers, so she felt no shame whatsoever amidst thoughts of claiming what was destined to be hers nonetheless.

"Damn it! Fuck fuck fuck!" Emma's shouts drew the Queen's attention immediately, the sight of an Emma stuck, quite literally with a bar through her chest, her attempt to escape the cell having gone terrible awry. Each curse word grew weaker as Emma dissolved into a rough cough, the bar must have pierced a lung, but less than a moment later her body was laid out on the ground just outside of the bars.

Emma saw rough gold skin near her face and a sneer, scolding her for nearly getting herself killed, and commenting that at least she hadn't a heart to pierce. That reminded Emma of Regina, and she assumed the reminder of the woman who still possessed her heart was the only reason she was having some sort of hallucination of the Queen beside her, magic flowing swiftly from her hands. The flowing magic was doing something certainly, even though it was an hallucination, because several seconds later Emma could breathe again around the remnants of blood in her mouth that were her reminder that she had actually had a prison bar through her chest a moment earlier.

"Looks like the Queen has a little thing for you, hm?" mocked Rumple as he stood casually by Emma's body, looking down at the princess like she was a bug under his shoe, disgusting. "Or perhaps she's just waiting to kill you herself." Speaking offhandedly as Emma recovered, sitting up slowly and feeling her chest as if for holes, she flipped off the man only she could see, swearing as loudly as her still healing chest would allow.

* * *

The Evil Queen could feel eyes on her, accusing in the calmest manner possible, and it irked her to no end as she sat with her tea. "I couldn't be sure that her own new magic would work to save her." Regina defended herself to the silent figure who added two lumps of sugar to her tea, the only man who had never left her side. "She's an investment that I don't care to dispose of just yet."

"Of course", her father agreed, eyes never leaving his daughter, like the half smile on his face. Hope bloomed warily in his chest that perhaps she was not completely lost, and that perhaps the darkness might actually be the thing that brought his child back to the light.

* * *

Emma's progress down the hallway was all done on foot, much to the chagrin of her constant gold companion. As she stomped, hardly willing to trust magic after her near death experience, she questioned Rumple, "So what exactly are you? And what exactly am I, for that matter?" Even now, after beginning to get a hold of the power flowing within, Emma could feel a battle inside waging, making her fingertips tingle.

"Do I really need to repeat myself?" Rumple rolled his eyes and surveyed the princess with a clearly displeased look painted his features. "You are _the Dark One_ , princess. You are the embodiment of all evil and shadows and all that awful stuff. Are you getting the picture?" He spoke as if to a child, which Emma really was in his ancient eyes. "And me.. Well, you can just think of me as a guide."

"A guide to what?" Emma asked, demanding details.

"A guide to all things _Dark One_." Rumple answered in exasperation, his mood only improving when two rather large and burly guards ran at them, having just noticed the escaped prisoner. Regina, watching from a distance as ever, leaned in eagerly to see just what side of her princess would rear its head in the face of such a challenge.

The princess fell instantly into a defensive stance, ready to fight these men fair and square, all thoughts of magic fleeing, leaving the Queen disappointed. Emma dispatched the large men easily however, perking the witch's interest in the princess's physical prowess and just how much fun that might lend to any future confrontations with her new owner.

The blonde was an enigma in a way, providing something the Queen hadn't had in longer than she could remember. Someone _worth_ controlling, possessing, claiming for her very own. Watching Emma run was hardly her idea of a good time though, and after a short thirty seconds of such, Regina waved a hand to raise a new challenge for her Dark One-to-be.


	3. Chapter 3

There was a commotion in the camp when Emma came limping weakly into the circle of tents, recognizing her parents' royal crest on the horses' saddlebags as they idled at the edge of the ring. Shouts of 'the princess!' and 'we've found her!' brought conflicting emotions to the surface, joy that she would soon be home, and sour fear that crept up her throat. Her task was clear, and the clothing that had appeared on her body the moment she exited the dark Queen's castle grounds was emblazoned with the symbol of the enemy kingdom. With some effort, and prodding from her hallucination of a guide, Emma managed to summon a cloak, wrapping the pale cream garment around her shoulders gratefully to cover the mark she bore. When the fabric draped over her body however, the colour seemed to wash away, melting into a devilishly deep crimson that Emma instantly noted was the same shade in which she had first seen her Queen adorned.

Again, conflicting feelings and the reference to the Queen as being something of her own.

The soldiers insisted that she ride with one of them, and eventually Emma assented. She did notice that the soldier with whom she was riding seemed to run into an unfortunate amount of greenery, always directly at the level of his head. It was amusing in its way, as Emma could feel in some otherworldly manner that there was magic manipulating the trees, and she was certain she knew the identity of the culprit.

Emma remained fairly silent for the majority of the ride, deflecting all attempts to make conversation to allow herself time to formulate exactly what she was to say to her parents. It wasn't going to be easy. In contrast to the message she had to deliver to them, the escape from the Queen's castle had been relatively simple.

Once Emma had made her way down the long corridor leading from the dungeons, a rumbling had caught her by surprise, shaking the earth beneath her feet violently enough that she feared the tunnel would cave in. It wasn't to be, as the walls themselves came alive. Rumplestiltskin shouted at her to use magic like a proper Dark One, which she had ignored for the most part. However, the golems that sprouted from the earthy walls continued to emerge in greater and greater numbers, forcing Emma to turn to a strength that wasn't physical. Her unreal guide had demanded she lift her hands and will the things out of existence.

And she had done it. It took a toll on her, straining that part of her heart that still rebelled against magic and introducing to her a temptation the likes of which she had never before experienced.

After she had vanished the wall creatures, nothing more bothered her, aside from the snarky remarks from her invisible mentor that consisted almost entirely of 'I told you so' in regards to the power she had just proven that she possessed.

Along with the garments that appeared on her body as she stepped a foot off of the castle grounds, a form fitting squire's uniform, tunic shirt with the Queen's crest and leggings with a belt cinched tightly around her hips, there was a sheet of parchment that repeated the message she was to carry. As the horse trotted at an easy pace, bouncing his riders, Emma could feel the words burning into her flesh.

_As of now, I owe my fealty to Queen Regina, and shall serve her in any capacity that she requires. This is due to the foolishness of my mother, and the promise she broke._

The words were easy, but what they meant for Emma's future was dire. There would be no ruling of the White Kingdom, at least that's what Emma assumed. And there would be no arranged marriage. Granted, Emma hadn't been very keen on the idea in the first place, but it remained that it was a command that Regina had handed down. With the dagger in the hands of that woman, Emma stood no chance.

Fanfare rang through the kingdom as the word spread that the princess had been found alive and well, if a little worse for wear. Reaching the castle was a blessing, as the crowds in the streets had made travel slow going and Emma wanted nothing more than for this day to be over.

Snow and David rushed to their daughter the moment she entered the castle, ignoring any protocol and capturing Emma in a group hug that brought tears to her eyes with thoughts of what was to come. She was going to break their hearts, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Mother, Father.." Emma gave them a tight squeeze before pulling away enough to bow her head in shame for her own actions, however unwillingly she might have committed them. "We need to talk."

Concern had faded when their eyes had found their daughter safe and sound and in one piece, but it returned with a vengeance when she refused to meet their gaze. Adjourning to the war room, just the three of them, Emma stalled as her parents took their seats at the head of the long table that filled most of the room, waiting anxiously for their unusually quiet daughter to speak.

"I was tasked.. to deliver a message." Emma tried, more than once, to force the words out. But they refused to form on her tongue. After several long moments of silence, Emma reached into the pouch beneath her cloak and passed it to her father, who read it aloud in a monotonous tone.

In an instant, Snow was on her feet and grasping her daughter tightly, tears coming unbidden and rolling down her flushed cheeks.

Far off, the Evil Queen watched the breakdown in one of many enchanted mirrors, the gleeful expression on her face lighting every feature with a sadistic glow. The dagger lay nearby, as it had from the second she came into possession of it. Regina reached for the magical weapon and took it into her hands, stroking the hilt eagerly.

To her surprise, the princess shuddered in her mother's arms as her fingers travelled the expanse of the dagger's hilt. Experimentally, she dragged a nail over the blade, tracing the curve of the metal slowly. Again, Emma shuddered, drawing a whole new kind of smile over the Queen's face, devious and eager to find out just how very connected the new Dark One was to her dagger.

Emma's body was alight despite the fact that she was in her mother's arms, and instinct told her that it was her dagger, the key to her power, being toyed with. The idea that the Queen was watching from her own castle, touching the dagger in such an intimate fashion that it would draw such… sensations from her body, Emma's pulse raced, thoughts twisting down dark paths.

"You don't have to do this, Emma", Snow murmured in her attempt to comfort her only daughter. "We'll find a way, I promise." As yet another pleasurable shudder wracked her body, Emma pulled away, shaking her head as she came to the decision that she would divulge the whole truth. Right now.

"There's no way, mother. I.. ", she stumbled under the wave that passed over her next, swallowing thickly as she tried again, "I did something bad. Something terrible. I killed the Dark One without being aware of the consequences.. and now.." Snow's tears fell as David held her tight. "I'm the Dark One."

Emma vanished on the spot, reappearing only a half second later, cloak gone and wearing something more resembling that which Regina was famed for, dark and clinging. Her hair, formerly falling free in golden ringlets, had grown wild, half up and down with curls sprouting from every angle in an ordered frenzy that lent her an air of untameable power. Regina licked her lips as she drank in every inch of the transformed princess, who knew that a mere spoken acceptance of her lot in life would spark this change? The Queen approved mightily, tapping a finger against the tip of the dagger, her distraction bringing her to tap just a bit too hard, a droplet of blood falling on the blade.

The marble floor cracked beneath Emma's feet when she vanished once more, her parents holding their breaths as they awaited her return. When the passing of time produced no princess, Snow cried out and buried her face in David's chest for an agonizing few seconds. When those had passed, she drew herself up and stormed from the room with all the fury and power of a mother out to rescue her child.

The air turned thick and heated when Emma came into being with a pillar of grey smoke beside the Queen, her appearance coinciding with Regina's insertion of her bloodied finger into her own mouth to lick away the crimson that had trickled from the miniscule wound.

"Your blood. My blood. You don't know what you've done." Emma stalked forward, her entire bearing seeming to expand with each motion. Eyes fixed to Regina's finger, Emma stopped short of touching the Queen, her burning gaze dragging down the woman's body without shame. "Be prepared to be dethroned, _Your Majesty._ " Emma was daring, the transformation having gone seemingly deeper than merely her appearance. Regina quite liked the change, eyes flashing at the challenge.

Drawing the dagger near and lifting it before Emma's eyes, Regina laughed in her throat. "I don't think you'll be doing anything of the sort, _Dark One._ Not unless..", she paused to lick her own crimson droplets from the dagger's dangerous curving blade, eliciting a shudder and a low sound from Emma that made Regina's blood boil, "…I command it."

Blinking suddenly, uncertain, Emma looked at the blade, brows furrowing in apparent confusion. "I…uh.." Regina quirked a brow as she leaned in, tracing Emma's firm jaw with the tip of the dagger.

"Have you lost your fighting spirit already?" The Queen made as if to pout, the mocking expression swiftly flourishing into a grin. "I haven't." Raising the dagger to tap Emma's nose, Regina murmured her first true command in the face of her Dark One. "On your knees."

Emma dropped, much as she had in the dungeons, though holding far more grace in this movement. The dark was smooth sin, wrapped in velvet luxury and silken temptation, topped with ribbons of indulgence that begged to be touched. Each move Emma made was calculated, though whether by her or another she couldn't be sure. What she was absolutely certain about however, was the way her breathing shallowed out, pulse racing as she remained on her knees like a supplicant before a goddess. In Emma's eyes, Regina may well have been so, her hips shifting seductively from side to side as she circled the kneeling princess. A hand drifted over her hair, the elegant fingers plucking at a curl or two that emerged rebelliously from wherever it pleased, a hum of consideration and approval lingering on her scarlet painted lips.

Danger caressed Emma's senses, giving her the joy of feeling more alive than she had since the very first day she picked up a sword. Regina was danger personified, with the glint of something hidden in her darkened gaze. Emma wanted to discover her secrets, learn all those little things that a Queen would hide from the world, map each perfection and each flaw, if the latter even existed. Fascination had taken a hold of her that very first moment she had laid eyes on the dark Queen, and Emma had fallen victim to it every moment spent in the Queen's company since.

"Tell me, princess", Regina began in a luxuriously low tone, the answer already apparent to her with the way Emma's body practically screamed for the Queen to draw near, "How would you like to spend some more time in my company? Tell me the truth." Were Regina's hand not on the dagger, Emma might have been afforded a minute longer to consider how to answer the query. Certainly, yes, fascination and temptation had woven a lovely web, but did she desire to stay rather than return home? As it was, however, the Queen gave the dagger a sensuous stroke as she asked, leaving no chance for the princess to answer with anything but the absolute truth.

"Yes", Emma responded instantly, her mouth clamping shut as she registered the speed and eagerness with which she had answered, cheeks flushing as she found she couldn't stop the words from spilling, "I would love to spend more time in your company, Your Majesty."

Regina's expression only grew more predatory as she approached the young girl once more, bending so that their faces were level. Brushing her fingers under Emma's chin, the Queen breathed out, "Then follow me."

As the Queen turned to leave, she expected the princess to follow without question even without using the dagger to command her. When the sound of rushed footsteps echoed behind, dashing to catch up, Regina suppressed a laugh.

And so the game had begun.


	4. Chapter 4

The dungeon that had served as temporary housing for the fallen princess had been replaced now by a room absolutely dripping in luxury. Emma, the Dark One, sat at the silver vanity staring at her reflection, her mind mulling over her _time spent with the Queen._

From the way the woman had moved, the inflection of her voice, it was impossible for the captive princess not to believe that she was being taken away to be ravaged. The Queen practically oozed sexuality, and Emma was hard pressed to keep her hands from trembling as she followed the predatory woman down the long hallway, eyes fixed to the shifting curves before her. She was disappointed however, as the Queen merely brought her to another sitting room, though one that gave off a for more intimate air. Here, a long couch stretched before a fireplace, a small table resting at either end, the walls covered by tapestries that almost looked as if they were alive. In them, the trees edged in crimson shifted in an invisible breeze, gold swirls making up the sky.

The Queen, smoothly as ever, reclined on the couch, gesturing before it with the dagger. Emma took the indicated place on the floor before her Queen, legs folded under her with more grace than she knew she possessed. If for no other reason, the blonde savoured the extra control of her body that the darkness provided.

For hours, Regina questioned Emma, but not a single inquiry regarded the princess herself. No, each and every question was after her kingdom. The people, the military, the strengths and weaknesses that lay in those villages that lined the border of the White kingdoms holdings. Emma had expected something far different from this woman, this being who seemed only to want to control any within her sight.

"Can I ask a question?" Emma ground out, despite the way her tongue seemed unwilling to form the words. Regina appeared surprised at the blonde's initiative, but only for the space of a moment. Waving a hand, the Queen laughed, "Go on then, princess."

"What promise did my mother break?" Before Emma's eyes, the Queen's expression darkened from mild amusement to pure displeasure, a shadow passing over her and even affecting her posture, shoulders stiffening under Emma's newly far more observant eyes.

"That is none of your concern." Emma's mouth opened to protest, but she was brought to an immediate halt by the pressure of Regina's hand tightening around the dagger. "And if you wish to retain your ability to speak, you will hold your tongue." Even if she wanted to, following that threat, Emma would have been incapable of speaking further. Though the threat had been just that, spoken by the Queen with the dagger in her hand, it might as well have been an order.

Emma sensed she had struck a nerve, her curiosity piqued further towards the Queen. Their time appeared to be over, to the dismay of the princess, as Regina's eyes were turned from her, distant as they watched the gentle movements of what Emma assumed was a magic-imbued tapestry. The questioning had not been very interesting in the opinion of the blonde, but it was far better than sitting still in the room she had been banished to less than a second later.

A figure entered the room behind her, hovering just within the doorway in the vanity mirror's reflection. Emma was far from threatened by the less-than-imposing man, so she turned slowly to face him. Features careful nonetheless, Emma was not going to underestimate anyone that called the Queen's castle home.

"Hello, princess", the older man spoke in a soft voice, kind and calm. It brought to mind the way Emma's father would comfort her after a lost duel. "My name is Henry. I serve as a general caretaker for the Queen, and now for you as well." Emma wondered after the woman immediately, eager to ask this man questions that she wouldn't think to ask the Queen. "I know that the circumstances under which you were brought here were.. less than pleasant, but I hope that you will find this place, in time, becoming as home to you."

A smile had pulled across Emma's face without her intending it, the man and his soft speech and already quite obviously caring manner was charming and a comfort that she hadn't expected to find within these forbidding walls. The part of Emma that was a child still, a girl who wished to return home, flared in Henry's presence.

"Thank you", Emma responded finally, when she realized she had been smiling without speaking for longer than was polite. "But I really.." She stopped short, unsure of herself. She had meant to say that she did want to return home despite her desire for adventure, but was that true? Yes, she yearned for the comfort and safety that she had always come to expect within her own castle walls. But here, Emma was looked at as someone of use, even if she bristled at being under another's command. She was seen here as someone more than a figurehead, more than a marriageable asset.

The princess's conflicting thoughts only made their way partially onto her face, as she had already half accepted the darkness rising within, but those expressions that did twist her features were not unnoticed by Henry.

"Please tell me, princess, if there is anything I can do to make you feel more at home." The man gave a bow before making his way from the room with another gentle smile, causing Emma to question what it was that made her feel at home at all. Certainly it was more than her family, her people. But the land itself didn't seem to have made ties with her, the castle and its multitudes of spires and towers were a bright spot in her memory, but not in her heart. As it was, the only thing she found herself missing were the faces of those she loved, and even that desire was dulled.

Was it merely because she had been with her parents less than a day before, or was the darkness already taking from her that which made her human? Fear bubbled in Emma's belly truly for the first time since her initial abduction.

* * *

"You didn't need to do that", Regina said as Henry entered with her afternoon tea. There was no need for her to reference just what she meant as the man settled his tray at the table by her side with a soft sigh.

"Regina, she's a girl in a place she doesn't know. It doesn't harm anyone for me to be polite." Henry stirred in the Queen's sugar before holding out her drink, which she took after a short, only half-meant glare.

"You've made her conflicted. Look." Regina waved to the mirror in her hand, tilting it to show her father the princess's fruitless attempts to tame the wild hair that her magic as the Dark One caused to burst free from any binding she tried to put it in. Henry merely chuckled at the blonde's almost comical expression, for which he received another glare.

"She's just a girl", he responded, "And it's been barely a day since she was brought back here. Just give her time." Henry seemed satisfied that his words were taken under consideration as he left with no further response from the Queen.

From the first moment that his poor, emotionally wounded daughter had laid eyes on the daughter of her mortal enemy, Henry had done nothing but hope. And it seemed now that his hopes were not going unheard, as the Queen had truly done nothing awful to the rather innocent princess as of yet. The screams of past victims of the Queen's 'interest' still rang in Henry's ears, and the fact that Emma's had not yet been added to that collection heartened the elderly man to no end.

He would do what he could to make sure that some part of the girl's goodness fought against the darkness with which his daughter had infected her indirectly, though intentionally, and he could hope that perhaps that ounce of goodness would call out to the girl that the Queen had been so long ago.

* * *

Snow pounded on the table, infuriated beyond belief at the cowardice she was perceiving from those she thought were her allies. Even David, generally so strong at her side, was electing to join the side of those who said to wait.

"I don't understand what has gotten into you all! This is an act of war against our kingdom. Not only abducting our daughter, our _princess_ , but essentially..", Snow struggled to choke out the word, ".. _enslaving_ her as the Dark One." Her eyes closed as her face dropped, only to assume the hardness it had adopted a second later. "We cannot stand for this. We will not!"

"But Your Majesty, please, what is it exactly that you expect us to do against her? Regina, or even Emma now for that matter, is far too powerful to take on alone. Yes, we took back the kingdom all those years ago, but it is far easier to take an entire land from one singular individual than it is to take back someone who, as you've already said, is essentially enslaved." Granny's words struck deep, her echoing of Snow's terminology hitting the Queen where it hurt. Her heart ached as she sat back down, but her determination did not waver.

"There is _always_ a way, as long as we have hope." Raising to hover higher over the large table as Snow's voice choked for the second time in as many minutes, the Blue Fairy made herself heard, "There _may_ be hope, as long as Emma hasn't fully surrendered to the darkness." All eyes were on the floating figure, David joining his wife as she leaned eagerly forward, eyes alight. "Providing that the princess has not yet settled entirely into her role as Dark One, there may be hope of getting her to help distract the Queen long enough to steal the dagger." Blue paused before continuing, "We have a very small window of time, as far as I know, but with the fact that the princess is the product of True Love", she gestured to the King and Queen, who shared a glance and a smile, "there is a chance that that might allow her to fight the darkness for a longer period of time."

"Yes, she will!" Snow exclaimed, clasping to the chance that Blue offered. "She wouldn't give in to the darkness easily", David agreed, though keeping far more calm than his once more standing Queen. "But how are we to reach her in Regina's castle? Certainly there is magic that would make it difficult to get a message to her, not to mention a battle plan."

Snow scowled at the man before repeating herself, "There is _always_ a way." She looked again to Blue. "Anything you can find as far as ways to get a message to Emma would be greatly appreciated." With a nod, the Blue Fairy assented, and Snow brought the meeting to an end. There was a plan beginning to form in her mind, and she needed time, more than she knew she had.

As the other occupants of the room filtered out, David took his Queen into a comforting embrace. "She'll be okay. Our girl is stronger than she gets credit for." Snow only nodded, mind working furiously.

* * *

The storm that seemed to hang perpetually over Regina's castle was far more soothing than Emma had anticipated. The grey gloom had discouraged her at the start, as it aided in washing away all colour it touched, but as night fell, the low rumbling of thunder became a sort of lullaby.

The day had passed slowly, and the princess had been left alone. After what she felt was the better part of an hour prodding at hair that had gained both impressive body and an incredibly irritating will for freedom that eluded all her attempts to make it more presentable, a habit obtained from her mother's obsessive grooming of the golden locks, Emma gave up and retreated to the balcony attached to what she had already come to call her room.

It could have been far worse, she knew that purely from the dungeon she had found herself captive in during her last 'visit' with the Queen. But all in all, the room in which she was now essentially captive was quite lovely. Far more open than she had thought to expect, windows lined the entirety of one wall and half of the other, the remaining half filled by the French doors that opened to the large balcony.

Within, the room gave the initial impression that dull greys and hints of bronze were all that it offered, but at closer glance Emma found varying shades of silver and just the barest hints of blue lacing together through her bed linens, and the curtains that remained wide open around each window. The vanity, though also made of a dull silver, held a host of colours on its surface in the form of bottles, pale greens, blues and purples betrayed that they were filled with scent, each of which Emma had taken a whiff. They were all lovely, but for one that she set to the side, a strange and heavy scent that reminded Emma of one of the older lady nobles that had often held her suffocatingly close as a young child. By the time she was old enough, Emma had an aptitude for hiding from those who would squeeze her too tight, most especially the strong smelling woman.

With the easy discovery of the fragrances on top of the vanity, Emma had taken upon herself to explore the drawers, each filled with a new type of face paint that she rarely cared to use herself. Inevitably, Snow would fix her up like a 'proper lady' for whichever ball was being held each week, and Emma would be lying if she said she didn't sometimes enjoy the play at dress up. On the average day, however, the princess felt that it took far too much time, not to mention that making herself over like a lady hardly served to make her very frightening when she went to duel with the knights.

Searching through the vanity had brought the princess's attention to her own face though, surprised by the differences she could already see. Her skin looked pale, not ridiculously so but the tan she generally sported was significantly reduced. And her lips looked vaguely darker, as if painted just enough to be noticed, her eyes a deeper green than she could recall seeing them such a short time ago as she contemplated the fact that she was to be married off to what was likely the highest bidder. For all their talk of True Love, Emma never felt her parents understood what it was to not have an interest in love at all. Certainly, she assumed it would happen to her someday, just as any other thing she could not help from happening, but Emma had little interest in seeking it out.

The lights in her room lit themselves as the sun sunk down below the horizon, and as she watched the splashes of orange and red colour the sky, the knock at her doorframe had startled the princess. Henry entered with his same peaceable smile, holding a very large tray that Emma was frankly surprised he was able to support. As he set it on the little table holding two chairs that stood nearly centered between the vanity and her bed, the princess almost thought he would settle himself to eat with her. As he revealed her meal, she realized her mistake, only one plate sat on the silver platter, albeit surrounded by several smaller plates.

"Am I to..eat alone?" Emma asked as she stepped towards the table holding her evening meal. Henry just responded with, "The Queen believed you would benefit from some time to yourself to come to terms with your new arrangement", leaving with a little bow.

Regina watched through a mirror as the princess took her seat with an expression torn between relief and confusion, arms crossed as her father outright lied. As the Queen heard man entered her room with another tray, she shot him a scowl.

"I wasn't the one who suggested that the princess eat alone and you know it." Henry shrugged, setting up the Queen's tray.

"I apologize for the deception, my dear, but look", he pointed to the mirror, in which Emma ate slowly. "She is eating without a fight, and doesn't that mean she at least has accepted that she isn't going to be leaving and eating anywhere else soon?" Regina side-eyed her father, primarily watching the princess tuck in to her food with her eyes directed out of the window.

"Maybe she's merely gathering her strength for an escape attempt", she retorted, though she didn't put much stock in the words. The princess was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them. It was very clear that Emma was trapped so long as the Queen possessed the dagger, and it was for that reason that she was a bit grated by her father's decision to allow the princess her space. She didn't want the girl to have any space that she didn't give her expressly. Though Henry did say that the Queen had suggested it, and she supposed that it took the sting from the betrayal.

Inside, she was well aware that what Henry had done was a calculated move, even if it came across as kindness. Cora hadn't been the only parent from whom she inherited her brains, after all. Henry stopped at his daughter's side with an outstretched hand, ready to escort her, like a proper gentleman, the seven steps to the long table at which she preferred to take her meals. When Regina was comfortable, seated before her meal, Henry moved to take his place at the opposite end of the table. A glorified servant he might be in some respects, but Regina loved her father, never forcing him to take his meals with the actual servants. He served an important role as her personal caretaker, someone she could trust.

Raising her glass in a toast, the Queen's eyes flickered again to the princess, eating with a frown. "To the downfall of all those who would harm me." Henry mirrored her gesture while making a silent toast of his own. _To new beginnings, and new hope._

* * *

Emma, subconsciously aware of the eyes on her, was yet unable to erase the frown from her expression. It had been ages since she last dined alone, accustomed at the least to eating with her family. Despite her wish to maintain a sense of independence, that subservient part of her that answered to the dagger..and its bearer, was unhappy with the current arrangements. Yes, she wasn't one hundred percent prepared to face the… Merlin, was there even a word for her Queen? The Queen. _The_ Queen. In any case, dining alone was distasteful, and she made a point to herself to keep her eyes directed out of the window as if she might see far and see her parents taking their meal. Were they thinking of her?

"Of course they are", the voice startled Emma, eyes jumping to where Rumplestiltskin was perched on her vanity.

"You!" Emma exclaimed, dropping her fork. The man had been absent for quite some time, Emma had almost convinced herself that he was a delusion that had worn off. Now though, he was as clear as day, right there, and she wondered if she was still the only one who could see him.

"Me!" he echoed gleefully, and nodded, "Yes, my dear, I am still here, and still for your eyes only." He grinned terribly, dropping from the vanity and pacing towards her, eyes on her plate. "You'd better finish that, the Queen wouldn't approve if you didn't clean your plate." Emma retook her fork without thought, but frowned at the reappeared former Dark One.

"Excuse me?" That the Queen was watching her didn't come as a surprise, but it still was uncomfortable to imagine being seen in her private moments.

"Weren't you just wishing that you weren't alone?" Rumple chuckled, shaking a finger at her. "You should really make up your mind, dearie. Indecisiveness isn't very attractive!" He cackled the last words, drawing a scowl from Emma.

"You just leave me alone! I don't need your nonsense, nor do I need your commentary!" Rumple giggled at the annoyed princess.

"I'm in your head, princess. I can't very well run off and take a holiday, now can I?" Emma directed her eyes down to her plate, eating deliberately. After a moment of ignoring the man, Emma heard Rumple coo at her like one would at a child. "That's a good princess, eat all your vegetables so we can get big and strong! You know what the Queen has in store for you!"

The retort died on Emma's tongue as it hit her, she really did have a rather large clue as to what the Queen would aim her to do. Her hatred for Snow was clear as day, and now with the kind of power that Emma had heard the Dark One possessed.. ("That's you, dearie!" Rumple said happily near her ear.).. she would certainly aim the princess against her mortal enemy.

Dropping her cutlery for the final time, Emma pushed away from the table decisively, appetite vanished. For all that she had thought the darkness was already dulling her to emotion, the idea that she would be used as a weapon against her parents struck Emma through more painfully than any sword.

"Ah, that'll pass. Don't you worry. You just need to accept your lot, princess, hating it isn't going to change it!" Emma ignored Rumple as she stepped out onto the balcony. The fascination that had gripped her so quickly when she had first set eyes on the Queen seemed shallow now, foolish. After all, why was she looking at the Queen in such a manner anyway? She admired her strength, envied the way she held herself as though she knew any individual who set eyes on her would either want to be her, want to kill her, or want to have her. Emma blushed at the thought of the latter, Rumple's scoffing distracting her.

"Why would you want to be with the Queen? All sorts of broken madness lays just within that pretty head of hers."

"You're one to talk!" Emma exclaimed, coming to the immediate defence of her Queen, then crossing her arms and pouting off into the distance. "She's stronger than you think, and what does it matter if one is a little broken inside?" She knew next to nothing of the Queen, the earlier realization came back to her full force, setting in her a quest of sorts. Learn about the Queen, find out just what it was that she really wanted, and perhaps Emma would discover just what it was that made her want to mimic the evil woman.


	5. Chapter 5

"Rare is the one who sets out first to be feared." Rumplestiltskin's voice pierced the gloom as he mused, reaching Emma slowly where she lay stretched out on the cold marble floor, facedown with one heated cheek attempting to absorb the coolness of the hard surface. The rug that had previously occupied the space was rolled haphazardly and pushed aside, unnecessary for the blonde Dark One's purposes.

The last two nights had taken a toll on the princess, being left alone but for Henry bringing her meals had grown old after the very first night. While one part of Emma was more than grateful for the chance to be alone, to gather herself etc, the larger part was irritated at the way she had been seemingly cast aside. And, after all, the girl doubted highly that she was ever really alone with the Queen around. That she was being watched had become an assumption, one that the Dark One inside her head encouraged mightily.

As it was, Emma was never alone, even when she was, even if the Queen wasn't watching. Glazed green eyes opened a fraction to survey the pursed lips and furrowed brow of the annoyed guide that lived in her head.

"Are you even listening?" Rumple said when it was clear that Emma was not going to respond to his previous platitude. Closing her eyes again, the princess turned her face so that the other cheek was pressed to the warming marble, an unpleasant sensation but far cooler than lying on the bed, despite the fineness of the silken sheets.

"No", she nearly grunted in a manner that drove her mother mad on most days, the woman would claim needlessly that it wasn't 'princess-like'. Of course, this led Emma to wonder what _was_ princess-like and how that was decided. If Emma did something, as a princess, didn't that make the action automatically princess-like?

"Don't ponder over useless things, dearie. That's all behind you now." Though Rumple added a little titter to trail his words, danger lurked behind them. The ache that tugged at Emma's muscles was far more important that the moment however, taking all of the attention and care that Emma was willing to expend. It had started the morning before when the warmth began to creep up the blonde's body, leaving her uncomfortable in the restrictive clothing that had been allotted to her. The wardrobe in her room was stocked heavily with clothing of all sorts, the most common factor being how very much the item in question covered while still revealing enough to be borderline scandalous. When the princess had sorted through these articles of clothing early in the morning, the barely risen sun already far too warm for her, the heat that rose to her face had absolutely nothing to do with the sickness plucking at her body.

Now, Emma lay in the most modest, yet cooling, clothing that she could find, the silk brushed on her skin like water. The nightgown reached nearly to her ankles, but a slit that stretched up to mid thigh left the attire much to be desired in the category of modesty. Lying on the floor with the rug pulled back and the equally cool silk and marble pressed to her front, Emma felt only marginally less heated. A low and miserable grunt was the only response that Rumple received, at which he sneered.

"Get up, you useless thing. You're the damned Dark One, and you're going to let a little sickness affect you?" The man rolled his eyes dramatically as he left his perch upon her vanity and strode across the room with an agitated twitch in his step. "Really, the Queen has rather a twisted sense of humor, forcing me to inhabit a _child_." Emma might've cared more about the insult were her own body not turning on her.

"Just leave me alone", the princess mumbled, half-heartedly waving a hand. Where she had once found recalling her memories to be far from an exact science with her partial inability to focus on one thing for very long, now it was as easy as breathing to pluck a memory from the depths of her mind. At the moment, she was remembering the last time she had felt so ill, the summer of her 12th year, and the second time that the Ogre flu had infected the land. Emma had just been starting to regain her freedom, as her parents had been quite panicked after the first outbreak and refused to let their princess leave the castle for nearly a year afterwards. Emma could clearly remember the chills and the cold sweating that had invaded her body, and the wholly awful experience that repeated vomiting provided.

Emma hoped dearly that the flu hadn't found its way out and about in the kingdom again, as she wanted no part of a repeat performance. Sighing long-sufferingly, Rumple paused in his pacing.

"Don't be stupid. The Dark One isn't affected by illnesses so simple as the _flu_." He scoffed as if insulted by the very idea. "You've obviously got something much worse." Emma peered up with bleary, half-opened eyes to the man, pleading with her whole face.

"And you can't just make it go away?" Rumple laughed aloud at the idea, pressing his hands to his chest in surprise. " _Me_?" he repeated incredulously. " _I_ can't do a thing. _I'm_ not _real_ , remember?" Rumple giggled again, spirits lifted marginally by Emma's ignorance.

"Could you stop with the damned laughter? You're killing me." Emma's head throbbed in time with her heartbeat, the organ pumping more out of habit than necessity. "And would it be so hard to just be helpful for once? I mean, you'd think you would try and help me, being a _guide_ and all."

Rumple's careless shrug brought streaks of heat cruising to the surface effortlessly. "I'm hardly a doctor, and it's not as if this can kill you. In any case, suffering an illness may prove a good practice at patience in the long run, don't you think?"

The only response that Emma could gather after ten long seconds of silence was a grumble and the aversion of her eyes, along with her refusal to speak to the man any longer. She was saved from being forced to converse with her only company by the sound of her door opening. Swift, sharp steps that sounded nothing like Henry's steady, if shuffling, gait brought Emma's attention around to the entry.

A tall, armored figure drew closer, surveying the prone princess with a guarded expression. Emma shoved at the floor to struggle into a sitting up position, her own gaze expectant. After an awkward moment of silence, the man cleared his throat and said, "Today you are to begin training.' His tone brooked no argument, but Emma was in no mood for taking orders. His features shifted in momentary uncertainty when the princess scoffed.

"Do I look like I'm in any condition for training?" The soldier's gaze raked down her and left her feeling mildly exposed, but she stubbornly remained just as she was. She was the damn Dark One, what was he going to do?

"The Queen has commanded that you start training today", he repeated, though with a vague hesitance. Emma sighed and closed her eyes, illness and discomfort robbing her of any common sense as she outright denied an order from the Queen by easing back to the marble floor.

"Come back in a week." Emma heard a chuckle from the man that only she could see from behind her. "Make that two." Armor clinked as the soldier gave a huff and turned to the door, obviously deciding that putting more effort into convincing the princess was useless. Emma's regard for the man raised slightly. At least he wasn't stupid.

"You're going to get in _trouble_ ", Rumple sang out as the door closed behind the soldier. With her face pressed to the floor once again, Emma breathed out.

"I don't care if I get in trouble. I'm already miserable. I'll be a good Dark One later. Right now, for all I care, the Queen can-" Magic squeezed Emma's throat, a new presence filling the room with a startling suddenness. The princess's eyes went white as Rumple laughed aloud, coming face to face with a pair of severe looking boots.

"-the Queen can… what?" The rich voice had come from directly beside her, simple but dangerous inquiry in its tone. Emma swallowed, the magic only halting her words and not her breath. Small blessings. She shifted on the floor so that she could follow the trail the boots started up to their wearer. Regina sported tight leather pants and a fitted sleeveless shirt, the bottom of which spread about her hips majestically. Torn between her illness induced misery, the little rush she got from the sight of the gorgeous woman, and the healthy dose of fear that might have killed her if she was still mortal, Emma's mouth hung open.

"If you're happy to mimic a fish, I could happily filet you for my lunch." Emma's mouth clamped shut at the jibe, while Rumple had since risen and circled around the side of the Queen while affording her an appreciative and lingering look. "Well?" The Queen crossed her arms with a lifted brow. "Tell me, princess, what can the Queen do?"

Finding her voice returned, Emma coughed lightly, then answered in a small voice, "I didn't mean anything by it.. I just.. I'm ill." Regina tsked in a disappointed manner.

"That was not what I asked. Don't make me ask again." Her tone, so much more intimidating in person that in Emma's head, was frightening to the princess at the moment and she really saw no other choice than to share with the royal just how she was going to finish her sentence. In an even smaller voice than previously Emma, still on the floor, said, "The Queen can bite me." A melodious laugh erupted from the Queen at her admission, and the blonde felt weak in the knees. Fear or attraction, the eternal question.

"I don't tend to _reward_ this sort of behaviour. Most certainly not when I was so kind as to offer you a chance to obey without the use of the dagger. And here you are" , Regina gestured to the princess where she lay, "laying around and refusing proper training. What am I to do?" The Queen paused as if expecting an answer, but raised a hand before Emma could speak. "Stand."

Though she was a stubborn, headstrong and occasionally foolish girl, Emma was by no means stupid. To not comply at this point, after so blatantly doing so not seconds earlier, would be veritable suicide. Struggling against the flawed sense of balance currently plaguing her, Emma pushed slowly to her feet. Upright, the gross sensation that she was going to both vomit and fly away forced Emma's eyes closed, which provided dual comfort of not being forced to meet the Queen's gaze.

The royal let out a hum as Emma stood, the nightgown sliding aside to bare the majority of one young leg. Unseen by Emma, Regina wet her lips with a quick flick of her tongue, enjoying the view. But there was time enough for that later. Truth be told, the Queen had seen the illness slowly taking hold of her Dark One and had sent the soldier in first to assess the situation. As the blonde was still sassing, it had seemed that the sickness was not as terrible as initially assumed. But now, with the princess standing before her, swaying really, and appearing as if she was near to falling over, Regina had to make a decision.

"Lie in bed." Emma's brow furrowed at the command, her heartrate doubling as she moved as steadily as she was able to the four poster. Crawling onto the large surface, Emma hid herself beneath the covers swiftly, despite the heat radiating from her body. She was in a precarious and vulnerable position, and she had no desire to see any other side of the Queen while feeling as she did, not to mention there was enough left of her own mind to be embarrassed at the way she trembled. "Remove the covers, and the nightgown." The orders came smoothly, but Emma froze.

Now, it wasn't rational to think that the woman had yet to see her naked body, as Emma was told gleefully by Rumple quite often that the Queen was watching her. It was a matter of course that Regina had seen her while changing her clothing, or bathing. But this was a whole different creature, and far more intimate than Emma was prepared to handle. A burst of adrenaline left her slightly dizzy as she moved in bed, propping herself up on her elbows. The Queen waved a hand as Emma opened her mouth to say that disrobing wasn't necessary, leaving Emma without nightgown or bedclothes.

"I expect you to obey without question." Though the words were precise, the tone was almost soft, something Emma might have noticed had she not been preoccupied with covering her new nakedness. A part of her thought to use magic to clothe herself, but she had yet to master her newfound skills and she had little desire to make something strange happen.

As the Queen gripped Emma's wrists to uncover those parts of her the princess was futilely trying to hide, Emma felt another rush, this time of heat. And want. And darkness. Deep inside there was a pull and Regina just barely caught it when Emma's eyes flashed black before returning to normal. Breathing growing heavier as she was exposed, Emma surrendered to the Queen, avoiding her eyes. Regina's expression was kept carefully even. Getting the princess into such a state had certainly been a part of her plans at some point, but as of now, this was purely for medical purposes. But she had no need to explain herself. Her intent was fully explained a half second later when a wave of her hand summoned a mass of cool cloths that placed themselves all along the princess's nude body.

Emma yelped as her hot body was forcibly cooled. The difference in temperature was nearly bad enough to hurt, but the blonde felt no tears rise to her eyes as she had expected, though after a long moment steam began to rise from the cloths covering her. The Queen jumped back, muttering to herself.

"This is worse than I thought." Emma was reminded of Rumple's cackling declaration that what she had was much worse than the flu. Remaining still under the steaming cloths only because they were helping to cover her, the princess suppressed her shudder at how deeply some part of her wanted to shift this situation into something far more carnal and focused on her discomfort.

"Um.. What's-" But the Queen was gone, vanished in a heartbeat and a puff of magic. Frustration bubbled up with a unhealthy amount of nausea as Emma's distraction from her physical misery was no longer present. Shoving the cloths off of her, the princess promptly heaved up the portion of lunch she had managed to eat over the side of the bed, hoping that for the moment the Queen's eyes were not on her.

* * *

Regina flipped through a large tome at a steady pace, eyes skimming each page as it turned. Her countenance was unchanged, but inside her thoughts churned wildly. Something was certainly not right, as Emma could not possibly have been infected with what the Queen thought. That particular illness had died out when she was but a girl, her mother had said so. For all that Cora had been a liar and a manipulator, she would hardly have lied about the eradication of something that could have destroyed her.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's a strong girl." Henry's soft voice insinuated itself into Regina's thoughts, his words and the implication that she _cared_ making her stiffen. One hand fisted on the page she was perusing as she spoke with venom in her voice.

"I can't lose my chance at revenge, Daddy. I _can't_." And that's what it was, her thirst for revenge that was threatened. Henry shook his head imperceptibly. His thought that the girl would provide his daughter a new chance at redemption was wavering, but still strong. He knew very well that the woman before him was as stubborn as the enslaved Dark One, and that her heart was never very easily brought to one thing or another. But he had hope.

A summoned mirror was fixed on the princess's form where she lay half hunched on the side of the bed, looking both astoundingly young and aged all at once. Regina blamed the magic now living within her for this, waving a hand to banish the image. It would do no good to grow personally involved with the girl herself. The Queen needed only to hold the dagger and make a command and the princess would be forced to comply.

The dagger. An idea struck suddenly, Regina summoned the weapon to her hand. Surprise blossomed on her face as she took in its altered appearance. Where the metal had shone with an inner light, or darkness, before, now both the shine and the edges were dull, the hilt looking far more worn and grimy. Even Emma's name looked chipped at the edges. There was no doubting it now, the sickness was indeed that which Regina had feared. Slowing her breathing as it had suddenly grown panicked, the Queen placed the dagger firmly down onto the table beside her books and threw Henry a firm glare.

"I need you to prepare _that_ mirror." Henry paled.

"You don't mean.." Regina sighed, her features pinched.

"Yes. I do. I need to talk to my mother." The mane made as if to argue, cut off by a raised hand from his daughter. "Don't bother trying to talk me out of it, Daddy, she's the only one who might know something that could help."

"Yes, but do you really think she would just offer a solution for free?" Henry attempted to advise the woman, though he as well saw little other option. Yes, the life of a young girl was on the line, and yes, Regina showing any interest at all in _saving_ someone was something to be celebrated, but nothing was ever made better by Cora's involvement. His wife had done quite a number on their daughter over the years and Henry was loathe to aid in her reintroduction into Regina's life just when there was the hint of light at the end of the tunnel.

"I'm not going to do anything more than talk to her", Regina waved her hand again, this time dismissively. She would do as she wanted, with or without Henry. The sound of a door closing was all the answer she needed. Her father would do as she had asked, and within the hour Regina would be speaking with the woman who had created her in more ways than one.


End file.
